


Flower Tattoos

by gayspacepilots



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and more fluff, M/M, Space Husbands, Tattoos, The Sulu Family, lots and lots of tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 19:08:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9285887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayspacepilots/pseuds/gayspacepilots
Summary: His mom told him he could get one when he turned 15. So he got something that was meaningful to him, a little good luck charm for himself.Or the tattooed Hikaru story I've been meaning to upload for months and finally got around to doing.





	1. A Series Of Very Important Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story is originally based off of [chrisqueenchapel's](http://chrisqueenchapel.tumblr.com) tattoo headcanons, which can be found [here](http://chrisqueenchapel.tumblr.com/post/148834120499/sulu-has-a-small-collection-of-tattoos-across-his). Please go check out her blog, she's super sweet and amazing.

His mom told him he could get one when he turned 15. So he got something that was meaningful to him, a little good luck charm for himself. A little four leaf clover on the inside of his left wrist, outlined in silver. He thought it was beautiful and he beamed when he showed it to his friends the next day at school.

_“Wow, that’s amazing, Hikaru!”_

_“It looks incredible!”_

_“It’s already healed?”_

_“I’m so jealous, my parents would never let me do anything like that.”_

* * *

 

He doesn’t get his next one until he’s 18 and he’s trying to ace his finals, so he can get into Starfleet and fly for real. Which is why he gets the hydrangea next. It’s bigger than the clover, but would still be classified as a small tattoo. He gets it on his right shoulder, just inches away from his spine and he can’t stop admiring it once the tattoo artist is finished with him.

_“So, might I ask,” The tattoo artist, Sandi, begins, “What’s the significance behind this particular tattoo?”_

_Hikaru chuckles lightly, “It’s for perseverance, to help me through the difficult times.”_

_“Ah, I see.”_

_“Because I’m just about to finish high school and I’m hoping I’ll get into Starfleet and if I do, there’s going to be a tough road up ahead and I’m going to need some help. So hopefully, it will help me with my finals and my tests and exams and anything else I have to face.”_

_Sandi smiled, “Well, I hope you get in, it sounds very important to you.”_

_“It is,” Hikaru hummed to himself._

* * *

 

Hikaru loved his tattoos, they showed his inner self; they were extremely important to him. They were always there, even if he wasn’t always thinking about them. He didn’t add another one until he passed his starship piloting exam and he felt like he was on top of the world. He immediately went out to his favourite tattoo parlour, Phoenix, to add to his collection. He gets a yellow rose, on his right bicep, _“The promise of a new beginning,”_ He explains to Nyota one night at a bar.

Nyota could only smile as she raised her glass, _“To new beginnings...”_

He doesn’t get another until after the Nero incident, only 4 months before his graduation. He lost so many fellow cadets in the attack and he feels a wave of sorrow run through him. After a few days of thinking, he heads back to Phoenix.

_“Hikaru!” Sandi greets, “It’s been awhile.”_

_“Yeah, I suppose it has,” Hikaru chuckles._

_“What can I get you?” She asks, taking him into the back._

_“Actually, I want two more, well, really it’s one, but it’s fairly big,” He answers, “If that’s okay.”_

_“Anything for you.” She smiles, “What do you want?”_

_“An Oak Tree and some Zinnia surrounding it,” He mumbles._

_“What happened?” She asks, concerned._

_“I...I lost a lot of f-friends last week... I don’t want to forget them.”_

_She smiles sadly, “Okay, let’s get started.”_

 

It turns out perfectly. Hikaru loves it. It’s absolutely beautiful, it’s gorgeous and Hikaru’s in love. With the help of the bathroom mirror, he smiles at the Oak tree, on the small of his back. The tree is to protect him and watch his back; as well as watch over and protect the people he lost in the attack. The flowers were to remind him of his absent friends, the people that were missing from his graduating class, the people that died out in space. The people who he would never see again.

* * *

 

And then Hikaru really falls in love; with a beautiful man named Ben and he forgets about his tattoos. He spends 2 years with Ben before Ben proposes to him and he cries when Ben slips the ring onto his finger. It isn’t long after their wedding that they decide to have kids together. They raise a beautiful baby girl together, Demora, she’s their own. Their own biological daughter. Hikaru thanks every spirit that it’s the 23rd century and this technology is available. Just after Demora turns 6 months old, Hikaru has to leave for space and it breaks his heart. Ben tells him it will be okay and they leave with a tear-filled, painful, heart wrenching goodbye.

It isn’t until Hikaru returns home, 3 years later, that he thinks to add to his collection. Ben had commented on his tattoos when they had been dating for 6 months.

_“Hey, I don’t mean to pry or anything,” Ben mumbled, “But I love your tattoos and I was wondering, is there a meaning behind your tattoos?”_

_Hikaru smiled, happy at the chance to show Ben his true colours. “Thank you! I love showing them off and yes, they do have meanings.” Hikaru took off his over-the-head sweater and placed it in his lap. He pointed at the clover on his left wrist, “This was my first one,” He explained, “I got it when I was fifteen-”_

_“Fifteen?” Ben asked, sounding surprised, “Your parents let you get a tattoo when you were that young?”_

_Hikaru laughed, “Yeah, my mother told me I could get one if I wanted to, so I did.”_

_Ben smiled, “Wow, that’s amazing. I wish my parents were that awesome.”_

_Hikaru giggled, “Yeah. Anyways, it’s for luck. Because sometimes we need a little luck and a little hope to get us through something... I know it probably sounds_ _cliché,_ _but I was so excited after I got it and-”_

_“I don’t think it’s_ _cliché_ _,” Ben interrupted, “I love it.”_

_“Really?”_

_“Yeah,” Ben paused before he spoke again, “What about the rose on your arm?”_

_Hikaru moved his hand and rolled up his tee shirt sleeve, to expose the yellow rose. “This is my third tattoo,” Hikaru answered, “I got it after I passed my first starship piloting exam. It was the beginning of something new. The beginning of my new life. A yellow rose symbolized that perfectly.”_

_Hikaru smiled when Ben lightly traced his fingers over the flower. Across the green leaves and along each individual yellow petal, before he set his hand on his own lap._

_“What about your second?” Ben asked, curious._

_“Excuse me?”_

_“You said that the rose was your third tattoo. So, what was your second tattoo?”_

_“Oh!” Hikaru exclaimed. “My second is...” He paused to pull his shirt off and turn so his back was facing Ben._

_“Wow,” Ben let out, placing his hands on either side of the Oak tree, “It’s beautiful.”_

_“Oh Ben! Not that one,” Hikaru chuckled, craning his neck to look back at his boyfriend, “It’s the hydrangea on my shoulder.”_

_“But what about-”_

_“I’ll get to that, don’t worry,” Hikaru smiled._

_“Okay, what’s the hydrangea for?”_

_“I got it just before I finished high school and I needed a little extra motivator to help me through my finals and the challenges I would face if I got into Starfleet.”_

_“So, it’s for perseverance,” Ben informed, placing a light kiss in the middle of the tattoo. Which sent a shiver down Hikaru’s spine._

_“Yeah, that’s exactly it,” Hikaru hums, shuffling closer to Ben._

_“And the Oak tree?” Ben asks, putting his hands beside the tree again._

_Hikaru gives a longing sigh before answering, “I… lost a lot of people… a lot of friends in the Nero attack and I didn’t want to forget about them.” Ben makes a pained sound, before he softly rubs Hikaru’s sides with his hands. “The tree is supposed to keep everyone I know and love, safe. Whether they’re dead or alive, it keeps them safe.”_

_“And it keeps you safe,” Ben finished, running his thumbs along Hikaru’s back._

_“Yeah,” Hikaru breathes, turning around to face Ben, his eyes red._

_“Oh ‘Ru,” Ben coos, bringing the man into his arms, “How about we make some tea and watch something happy.”_

_Hikaru smiles, “That sounds nice.”_

Remembering Ben’s genuine interest in his tattoos convinced Hikaru to get another tattoo.

* * *

 

\----- _Present_ \-----

 

Ben thought he was seeing things at first. But, he quickly realized he wasn’t. Late one night, the two of them were lying in bed, reading; Hikaru on his PADD and Ben with an old paperback he was slowly working his way through. Which is when he noticed it, a dash of colour, out of the corner of his eye. His eyes trailed away from the book and landed on Hikaru’s right wrist.

And there it was...

“How did I never notice that before?” Ben asked himself, staring at the man’s wrist. Absent mindedly, he reached forward and turned Hikaru’s wrist towards him.

“Wow,” Ben hummed, “It’s beautiful.”

Hikaru chuckled beside him, “I’m glad you like it.”

Ben, startled, didn’t realize he spoke out loud. “What does it mean?”

Hikaru smiled down at the daisies on his wrist. Three daisies, chained together and wrapped around his wrist. “Three daisies,” Hikaru murmurs, pointing at the flowers, “One for each of us...”

He points at the smallest one, in the middle, “That’s Dem,” He explains, before pointing to the left daisy, slightly bigger than the one in the middle, “That’s me.” He points to the final daisy, on the right, the largest one and beams, “And that’s you.”

Ben can feel his heart swelling in his chest, but Hikaru’s not finished.

“All tied together, unbroken.” Hikaru smiles, looking over to his husband, who’s at a loss for words.

“‘Ru, I... I don’t... I don't know what to say,” Ben mumbles, unable to get anything else out. Luckily for him, Hikaru’s willing to fill in the gaps. “I felt bad and I couldn’t believe that I didn’t have any tattoos for us. For our family, for you, for Dem.” Hikaru paused to hold onto Ben’s hands, “So I thought that I should start with one for all of us.”

 

Ben can’t hold it in anymore, he pulls Hikaru tight against him and sobs into his shoulder. He soaks Hikaru’s chest and back with his tears, but neither of them seem to mind. When his eyes have gone dry, he still holds onto his husband tightly. “I love you,” He cries, “And that is the most beautiful, most thoughtful, most meaningful thing I have ever seen and been a part of. Thank you ‘Ru.”

“You’re welcome. I love you so much, Ben.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

 

And when Ben gets a daisy chain on his wrist, identical to Hikaru’s, he bursts into tears.

“What do you think?” Ben asks with a small smile.

Hikaru beamed and brought his husband into a huge hug, kissing him all over and crying into his chest.

“It’s beautiful. I love it!”


	2. Epilogue

Eleven years ago, Hikaru and Ben got their matching daisy chain tattoos. Ever since that day, they both continued to build on their tattoo collections. Ben had 5 small tattoos that he loved. There was their matching daisy chain, an Aloe plant on his left wrist, for healing, Violets on his right shoulder for love, loyalty, devotion and faithfulness. As well as some Daffodils on his left bicep for good luck and several Blue Salvia on his right shoulder, to remind himself of Hikaru.

Hikaru’s collection was much larger, with a total of 8. He had gotten 3 new tattoos in the last 11 years and he loved them all. His sixth tattoo was a Cherry Blossom tree on his left bicep, for Beauty. The seventh was a yellow Acacia on his left ankle, for all the friends he made throughout his life and lastly, was some Angelica on his right calf for inspiration and encouragement. 

 

_ \-----9 Years Ago----- _

 

_ “Daddy? Papa?” Six year old Demora asked. _

_ “Yes sweetie?” Ben cooed, kneeling down in front of Demora. _

_ “When do the pictures start showing up?” She asked innocently, pointing at Ben’s tattooed wrists before looking down at her own, blank wrists. Hikaru and Ben simultaneously thought this was the cutest thing they ever heard. _

_ “Well, when you’re older, you can go to a special shop and they put on the pictures.” Hikaru explained, as he lifted Demora up, into his arms. _

_ “Can I go now?” She beamed. _

_ Hikaru and Ben shared a quick look before Ben chimed in, “You’re not quite old enough for that.” At Demora’s frown, Ben gave her cheek several kisses before continuing, “You still have a lot of growing to do before you can make the pictures appear.” _

_ Demora pouted, “But they’re so pretty. I want one...” _

_ “Well, I got my first one when I was fifteen,” Hikaru shrugged.  _

_ “And, I didn’t one until I turned 27,” Ben added. _

_ “But I still want one,” She complained, crossing her arms across her chest. _

_ “Well, when you turn fifteen,” Hikaru began. _

_ “We’ll take you to get your first tattoo,” Ben finished. _

_ Demora smiled brightly, wrapping her arms around her dads. _

_ “Okay!” _

 

_ \-----Present----- _

 

And when Demora turned 15, that’s exactly what they did. They took Demora to a small, tattoo parlour on the other side of Yorktown. Hikaru and Ben had gone there for all of their new tattoos and were excited to show the shop to Demora. They had already explained all their tattoos to her and they were hoping, her first tattoo would be something meaningful to her.

“Alright Dem,” Hikaru murmured, while the three of them walked to the shop, “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” She smiled, “I know exactly what I want and it’s amazing!”

Ben chuckled, “I trust that this tattoo is meaningful to you. That is has some personal significance and importance to you.”

Demora rolled her eyes, “Of course it is Papa! You and Dad are going to love it!”

“I’m just making sure,” Ben spoke, “I want you to be happy with your tattoos.”

“I am,” She answered, “It’s going to be great!”

 

They sat in the waiting room for twenty minutes before Demora's nervous energy got the best of her and she was debating whether or not this was a huge mistake. Whether she should get up and leave, run away, flee.

“I’m scared,” Demora whispered, her hands tapping on her legs, in the parlour’s waiting chairs.

“Oh sweetie,” Hikaru murmured, “It’s going to be alright.”

“Is it going to hurt?” She asked, timidly.

“No, it won’t,” Ben answered, “The technology has improved and is a painless process.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Demora Sulu?” One of the artists called out.

“That’s me,” Demora spoke, standing on shaky legs.

“We’re right here,” Ben cooed, smiling up at her.

“You’ve got this!” Hikaru smiled, giving her hand a quick squeeze before she smiled and turned around to walk into the back of the parlour. 

 

* * *

 

Thirty minutes later, Demora's tattoo was finised and she let out a sigh of relief that it was over.

“Dad? Papa?” She called as she walked out into the waiting room, her hand clasped over her right wrist.

“Dem!” Hikaru cheered.

“How did it go?” Ben asked.

Demora smiled brightly, “It went really well.”

“So,” Hikaru let out, “What did you get?”

She sighed happily as slowly uncovered her wrist and presented it to her dads.

Hikaru gasped, “Oh my gosh.”

“Dem… you,” Ben cried, tears falling down his cheeks, “You got that?”

She beamed, “Yeah, it means so much to the three of us that I wanted it to be my first tattoo. It… it m-means,” She paused, as a few tears ran down her face, “I thought it had an amazing and beautiful meaning to it and I want the three of us to be together, forever. I don’t what anything to happen to my family.”

Hikaru and Ben both pulled Demora into a huge, tight hug. All three of them were crying, but out of happiness, not sadness. Eventually, Hikaru and Ben let go of Demora. Ben shuffled forward and carefully took Demora’s hand and held it in his hands. He placed a kiss, right in the center of Demora’s new tattoo. Right in the middle of the three daisies, all chained together, unbroken. The same tattoo that was on both Hikaru and Ben’s wrists. 

  
Hikaru and Ben had never been more happy and proud then they were right now. There was nothing that could tear apart their family. They all walked out of the tattoo parlour with their matching daisy chain tattoos with the hugest smiles on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blue Salvia: _Thinking of you, long life and good health._


End file.
